The first time I met Steve Carrell was on the set of the original “Anchorman.”

I wasn’t formally invited to the set, but a friend who was working on the film knew how excited I was about it being made, and he invited me to come down and see him while they were shooting on an exterior location. It wasn’t easy to find them in the particular corner of downtown LA where they were working, but I eventually made my way there, just in time to see them setting up to shoot the giant rumble between Ron Burgundy and his friends and the rival news teams from around San Diego.

It’s one of the craziest moments in the film, and it was even crazier standing there watching it unfold. When I watched them stage the moment where Brick, Carrell’s character, killed a guy on horseback with a trident, I was sure we were never going to see that in the finished film. I had trouble believing something this gleefully ridiculous was ever going to make it intact to the screen for release.

Since then, I’ve seen Carrell on numerous sets and interviewed him repeatedly, and it’s been lovely to see that no matter what success he’s had, he remains just as easy to talk to, as humble about his work, and as entertained by the things he’s doing as he ever was. When I went to Las Vegas at the end of last week, it was so we could discuss his new starring role in “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone,” but I couldn’t resist asking him just a little bit about “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.”

My favorite thing about his response is how he can’t even think about the table read without laughing. This entire cast has been itching to get back to these characters, and I’m betting we’re going to see something special in theaters later this year.
In the meantime, “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” arrives in theaters March 15, 2013.